All the pomp but none of the national piety of 1932

Close your eyes and the Gregorian chants from the heavenly-sounding massed choirs at the opening ceremony of the International Eucharistic Congress could easily transport you back to the last staging of the event in Ireland 80 years ago.

The famed 1932 congress, whose final Mass was attended by one million people in the Phoenix Park, has proven over time to have been a high watermark for the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Open your eyes and fast forward eight decades and the scene at the RDS in Ballsbridge for yesterday’s opening ceremony provided a stark contrast.